Youngstown City Council finally approves tax abatement

The 75 percent, 10-year real property abatement for P&S Bakery was approved Wednesday by council without comment. The abatement still needs the support of the board of control for it to be enacted.

During a July 29 meeting, council voted 4-3 to refer the request to its community planning and economic development committee for further discussion. That discussion didn’t occur until Sept. 18 and it was more than a month after that before it was in front of city council.

P&S is a bakery that makes pepperoni rolls and other specialty breads stuffed with meats, cheese and sauces as well as cookies. It was established in Poland in 1999.

The company purchased a vacant building at 2716 Intertech Drive on the city’s West Side for $1.5 million and plans to invest $1.2 million in improvements to the building and for equipment. It’s currently located at 3279 E. Western Reserve Road in Poland.

The company employs 57 full-time workers and four part-timers and plans to add 20 full-time employees annually next year and in 2022.

The abatement would save the company $84,412 in taxes over 10 years while it pays $28,137.

COVID-19 GRANT

Also Wednesday, council accepted a $225,000 Ohio Department of Health grant, with money coming from the federal government, for the city health department to assist low-income residents.

Council agreed to sign contracts Wednesday for $70,000, using the grant money, with the Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership and Catholic Charities Regional Agency to provide rent, mortgage payments and utility fees for those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The remaining money will be used by the health department to buy personal protection equipment and face masks for those in need.

Toward the end of the meeting, Health Commissioner Erin Bishop discussed the pandemic saying that of the 93 COVID-19 new cases in Mahoning County reported between Monday and Wednesday, 43 were Youngstown residents.

Mahoning County is currently listed at Level 3 (red) on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System, meeting five of seven indicators. One more indicator and the county will be at Level 4 (purple). No county has reached Level 4 since the system was put in place July 2.

Bishop said she didn’t expect Mahoning to go to Level 4 when the system is updated today, but is concerned to see the number of cases increase.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com